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HORI announced a special gamepad for Steam / Steam Deck [classic "Xbox layout"]
(www.gamingonlinux.com)
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this post was submitted on 26 Jun 2024
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In most games it's the opposite. Most of the time by far you're gonna be having your left thumb on the left joystick and right thumb on the buttons, not the right joystick. The positions those are in on the Xbox style controller are the natural positions for your hand and your thumbs are positioned symmetrically. On the PlayStation style, your left thumb is always forced to be in an unnatural position.
For platformers you're right, but for twin-stick shooters you're using the shoulder buttons/triggers far more than the front buttons, and you are constantly using both sticks. And those happen to be fairly popular on PlayStation consoles.
Okay but there's no difference on the right half of the controller? Both layouts have the aim stick in the same place.
My point is more that the sides aren't symmetrical, but for twin-stick shooters it makes more sense if they are (which they are for DualSense).
I mean, except for OCD, I don't see it being symmetrical as important. It's basically saying that you'd rather have something less optimal just so that it's equally worse on both sides, instead of it being better on one side and worse on the other.
There are many games where you use the camera constantly. FPS, top down shooters and third person all use the analog sticks more than the face buttons. And I’d argue that’s the bulk of gaming nowadays.
I also have a pro controller with back buttons which allows me to move the camera more freely while having access to jump without taking my thumb off the stick. You get a lot more flexibility that way.
The Xbox position of the left analog stick is really uncomfortable for longer gaming sessions when you are used to the PlayStations more natural thumb position.
I see that design as choosing a tool for the job then. Top down is pretty niche but a valid point, first and third prison shooters though most pc players are going to use a mouse and keyboard.
I remember there was some 3rd party controller where you could hot swap the position of the analog and dpad, I always thought that would be a bigger deal in terms of accessibility.
Idk. Proper analog movement is a pretty big deal nowadays, especially with third person games.
Mouse aim is still superior but honestly it’s getting better with controllers, gyro and tweakable dead zones/sensitivity really help.
I’m really happy that Sony and others are making accessible controllers that are highly customizable.
I mean, first off, a lot of you are focusing on the right side joystick but it's completely irrelevant since it's the same position for both, I was just using it as an explanation why it makes sense for it to be assymetrical on the Xbox controller. I personally only play non FPS games with a controller so for me it's the majority, but I understand that maybe most games played with controllers today are FPS or use the right joystick more than the left. But, again, that wasn't really the main argument nor the point.
But second, idk man but how is your natural hand position such that it's easier to reach the PlayStation left joystick instead of the Xbox left joystick? When I look at my hand in a resting position, the thumb is right over where the joystick would be on the Xbox controller. The only type of game where the PlayStation layout would be superior when looking at that element is one where you mostly use the Dpad, like a fighting game.
I don't have a PlayStation controller with me right now, so maybe the body is differently shaped as to make the bottom joysticks the natural thumb positions unlike on the Xbox one, but on the Xbox controller your natural thumb resting position is definitely the top row.